This Helmar “This Great Game” card depicts Steve Carlton early in his storied career with the
St. Louis Cardinals. Shown in his windup against a radiant sunset sky, Carlton’s youthful
determination and intensity are beautifully conveyed through Sanjay Verma’s detailed
brushwork. The balance of soft pastels and warm orange tones evokes the energy of a
summer evening in St. Louis, while the crisp rendering of the Cardinals’ redbirds-on-the-bat
emblem anchors the image in baseball tradition. The composition feels both classic and
intimate, a hallmark of Helmar’s finest work—elevating baseball portraiture to the level of fine
art.

The back of the card transforms the same pose into a striking pop-art vignette—an homage to
1960s print design. With deep reds, yellows, and greens rendered in halftone patterning,
Carlton is presented as both athlete and icon. The layered textures and comic-inspired color
scheme suggest motion and excitement, symbolizing the explosive power of a pitcher who
would go on to dominate baseball’s modern era. Card No. 76 captures the birth of a legend
and the visual innovation that defines Helmar’s ongoing celebration of the game.

Original gouache painting by Sanjay Verma.